Sofa bed



Feb. 8, 1938. M. Fox

SOFA BED Filed Jan, 13, lese 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M. FOX

SOFA BED Feb. 8, 1938.

Filed Jan. 13, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT orFicE som BED Martin Fox, Chicago, lll., assignor to The Seng Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinoia Application January 13, 193s, serial No. 58,360

9 Claims. (Cl. 5-47) This invention relates in general to improvements in convertible furniture and more particularly. to a hinged structure in which two upholstered sections are connected at right angles to form a seat and are moved into alignment to form a bed.l

In convertible furniture of this type as previously used, the sections have been directly connected thereto, holding them at fixed distances in both. limiting positions. While this may have been satisfactory for nat, hard seats or solid An important object of this invention is therefore to provide a foldable sectional structure in which the distance between the adjacent edges of the sections are varied as they are swung from one position to the other.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a spacing hinge structure for upholstered sections in which the adjacent edges of the sec'- tions are close together when they are in alignment to form a bed, and the same edges of the sections are moved one behind and below the other when the sections are changed. to form a seat. I

Other and further objects of the invention are; to provide a compound spacing hinge for connecting adjacent upholstered sections;- to improve the locking pawl; to provide substantially parallel link and carrier arms; to oset one vof the leaf pivots; to provide aback section stop; and in general to produce the construction herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sofa bed struc- This invention relates to a folding seat structure in which there are two sections mounted in a frame 6 supported at the ends by legs or'by end frames [which form arm rests. 'In the arm rest type the structure is usually called a bed davenport and when the end arms are omitted it may be referred to 'as-a studio couch. In either form `the sections are so connected that when the back is raised as shown in Fig. l, lt is rigidly held in position 4against movement in either Adirection with respect to the seat section, and the sections must first be moved together by raising lthe seat section or lowering the back section to the position approximately shown in Fig. 2, before the sections are automatically unlocked and the seat section can be lowered to a position in alignment as shown In Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularlyv to the drawings, the seat section comprises a marginal frame 8 with an upholstered portion 9 projecting from it on all sides. The back section comprises a similar frame I0 with an upholstered cushion structure Il secured thereto and projecting from it at one side of the fame. These cushion structures may have yielding springs l2 or any other upholstering construction to make the seat soft and comfortable. Attached at each end of the seat and back frames are hinge leaves or plates I3 and I4 respectively, the seat plate having a projection I5 to offset a rivet I6 therein adjacent the back section.' A hinged lever I1 is connected by the pi'vot I6 to the-plate I3 at one end and at the other end the lever is connected by a pivot I8 to one endof a short link I9, the other end of which is connected by a pivot to the other plate I4. Similarly the plate I4 is connected by means of a lever 2| having a pivot 22 at one end engaging the plate I4 at a distance from the edge of the plate and from the edge of the back section, and the other end of this lever is connected by a pivot 23 with one end of a link 24, the other end of which is connected by a pivot 25 with the plate I3. The two levers II and 2| are pivotally connected intermediate their ends by a pivot 26 so that the hinge plates thus joined constitute a compound spacing hinge with a double connection between the plates at each end of the sections to which they are connected. The seat and back sections are connected in their supporting frame 6 by means of a plate 30 attached adjacent the rear of the frame and supporting" arms 3I and 32 each pivoted at one end to the plate 30 and at the other end to the plate It. Between these arms on the plate 30 is a stud 33 which engages one of the arms 3I in its raised position as shown in Fig. 1, to limit the movement of the arm in a rearward direction. These arms 3| and 32 may be of substantially uniform length and their pivot points are so located in the plates to which they are connected that they automatically turn the back section from an inclined raised position as shown in Fig. 1, to a horizontal lowered position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 when the back section is bodily moved upon the arms.

In order to automatically lock and release the sections, a latch 3| is pivoted at one end to one of the levers 2| between its pivots 26 and I6 and the other end of this latch is formed with a hook 35 adapted to engage a headed stud 36 secured to an extension 3l of the plate |3 when the sections are moved approximately to right angle position. Also carried by the latch is a gravity locking pawl 38 which has a pivot 39' intermediate the ends of the latch 34 and a slot with longitudinal and transverse portions 39 and 40 for engaging the same stud 36 and controlling its latching operations with the hook 35. To limit the movement of this locking awl in one direction, a headless stud 4| projec from the latch 34 and prevents further movement of the locking pawl in that direction.

In operation, assuming that the seat and back sections are in alignment as shown in Fig. 3, the latch 34 and its locking pawl 36 will be at their lowermost positions with the stud 36 at the upper end of the slot portion `39. y

To raise the back section the front of the seat section may first be raised causing the stud 36 to raise the free end of the latch 34 until the notch of the hook 35 engages the stud approximately in the position shown by Fig. 2. In this position thc seat and back sections are locked together at right Yangles and may be rocked freely upon the supporting arms 3| and 32, and as the sections are approximately balanced it requires very little effort to move the sections to the raised back position as shown in Fig. l.

To change the structure from a seat to a bed, the backV Vsection may be pushed downwardly or the seat section may be raised as shown in Fig. 2. in which the sections are locked in position substantially at right angles, but with the back a little inclined as shown in Fig. l, and when the movement of the seat section is continued after the back is at rest in horizontal position, to a position as shown approximately in Fig. 4, then the stud rides along in the hook 35 and out of the vertical portion 39 of the locking pawl until the pawl 38 drops by gravity, so that the transverse portion 40 of its slot engages the stud 36. In this position the back and seat sections can be moved no closer together and the release of the hook 36 takes place when the seat having been pushed a trifle farther forward as shown in Fig. 4, is then pulled backward. The stud 36 then moves closer to the pivot of the latch 3l but as the transverse portion of slot 40 now bears on stud 36 the latch 34 and pawl 33 now form a toggle with their common pivot out of the line joining the stud and the latch pivot. As these last two pivot points move together the common pivot is forced away carrying the latch relatively upward until it is disengaged from the stud. The latch is kept in the disengaged position by the pawl, the pawl remaining in position until about the position of Fig. 5Ais reached. In this position pin 4| engages the pawl and during further movement to alignment either the pawl will drop naturally by gravity so that the' stud 36 comes to the then vertical slot 33 or the pin will compel the pawl to take such a position and the latch being then unsustained drops to the position o! Fig. 3 ready for re-engagement when it is desired to convert the bed to a seat. The extended tooth on the latch ln positions similar to Fig. 4 limits the relative motion of seat and back in one direction while they may still be free to move relatively in the opposite direction.

with this construction it will be seen that the action and engagement of the locking pawl and latch is entirely automatic, it depends upon the position and operation of the seat sections and because of the compound lever action between the hinge leaves or plates and the disposition of the pivoting levers offset with respect to the edges of the plates, the. adjacent edges of the upholstered portions of the sections are moved closely together when they are brought-into alignment as shown more clearly by Figs. 3 and 5 so that a substantially continuous sleeping surface is provided. When the sections are moved at right angles to each other, the offset relation of the hinge parts provides an offset relation of the adjacent upholstered edges so that that of the back is disposed at a distance below the adjacent edge of the seat section as shown more clearly in Figs. 1 and 4, so that. the lower upholstered edge of the back section is behind and below but closely adja-l cent to the rear edge of the seat section. This construction makes it possible to provide this folding structure for an upholstered seat bed of the davenport or studio couch type and to prevent the formation of an objectionable crack, space, or opening between the sections even though the seat section is considerably depressed at its rear edge.

I claim:

1. In a sofa bed, a seat section, a. back section,v

plates attached to adjacent edges of the sections,

one plate having a pivoting projection toward the other and the other having a pivot inset from the edge, a. pair of hinge levers pivotally connected to each other intermediate their ends, one lever pivoted at one end to the projection, the other lever pivoted at one end to the inset pivot, the projection and the pivot it carries overlappingthe section to which the other plate is attached in one position of the sections to bring them close together, and link means for connecting the other end of each lever to the opposite plate to swing the opposite ends of the levers apart and to oiIset the plates in a right angled position so that the edge of one section will project over the adjacent edge of the other.

2. In a sofa bed, seat and back sections, crossed levers pivoted upon each other and one end of each lever pivoted to one of the sections. the other end of each lever having a link pivoted at one end to the lever and at the other end to the opposite section, the levers being pivoted to move the sections together in alignment and to odset them at right angles, so that the back section is extended below the level of and close to the seat section, a projection on one of the sections. a locking latch pivoted at one end to that lever directlypivoted to the last named section and having a hook at the other end for engaging the projection when the sections are nearly at right angles and lock them against relative movement into alignment.

3. In a sofa bed, seat and back sections, crossed levers pivoted together intermediate their ends and one end of each lever pivoted to one of the sections, a link pivotally connecting the other end ot each lever tothe opposite section, a projection xed on one section, a latch pivoted at one end to the lever directly pivoted to this section having a hook at its other end to engage the projection for locking the. sections substantially at right angles against relative movement in one direction, and a locking pawl pivoted upon the latch and engaging the projection to release the hook from its said locking engagement for returning the sections into alignment.

4. In a structure according to claim 3, the latch and the pawl being mounted to engage and disengage by gravity, and the latch having a stud to engage the pawl for releasing it from the projection in one direction of movement.

5. A structure in accordance with claim 3 in which the pawl has a closed slot engaging the projection with angularly disposed portions parallel to the length and transversely of the pawl, the parallel portion holding the latch against relative movement of the sections into alignment, and the thrust of the transverse portion of the slot against the projection throwing the latch up out of such engagement with the projection to allow movement of the sections into alignment.

6. In a convertible sofa bed, the combination with back and seat sections, of a supporting frame therefor, a hinging structure comprising end plates and crossed levers pivoted thereto and connecting the sections for movement closely together when in alignment and oisetting one of the adjacent edges with respect to the other so that the back section extends considerably below the level of and close to the seat section when the sections are in seat position, and a pair of arms both pivotally connected at one end to the supporting frame and pivoted at the other ends to spaced points on the same end plate and operative to move the back section from an upright to a horizontal position.

7. A convertible sofa bed, comprising back and seat sections, a supporting frame therefor, a hinging structure connecting the sections to move the edges closely together when in alignment to form a bed and to offset the lower edge of the back below the back upper edge of the seat section when in seat position, means for locking the hinge parts against the movement of the sections together in seat position, arms pivotally connecting the back section and the supporting frame and for moving that section from upright to horizontal position, and a projection xed on the supportingframe for engaging one of the arms to support the back against rearward movement in the seat position.

8. A convertible sofa bed hinge for two sections, comprising a plate for each section, hinge levers one directly pivoted to each plate and pivoted together between their ends, a link for each lever pivoted at one end to the lever and at its other end to the opposite plate, a projection below the hinge on one plate, a latch pivoted to the lever directly pivoted on that plate having a hook to engage the projection as the plates are moved apart, a 'carrier pawl pivoted on the latch and having a slot to engage the projection, and a stud on the latch to disengage the pawl in one direction, the pawl and latch being otherwise automatically operated by gravity.

9. A convertible sofa bed mounting comprising a structure in accordance with claim 8, with a mounting plate attached to one of the hinge plates by two arms pivoted at their ends to the mounting plate and the hinge plate and located to move the hinge plate from a horizontal to a vertical position, vthe mounting plate having a stud to engage one of the arms for limiting its movement in that direction.

MARTIN FOX. 

